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Language Arts for 2nd grade


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I have trouble wrapping my head around the asynchronous-ness of my child, (is that a word?) and could use some input on next year's language arts. I'm trying to think about it now because we lost a chunk of our income and I need to watch for used stuff to pull down the cost of next year's curriculum. 

 

So her strengths and weaknesses right now: 

She is a strong reader - at around a 5th grade level with comprehension - but it's not her favorite thing to do.

She is very strong verbally and remembers everything she hears if she is paying attention.

She is not a natural speller but loves grammar.

She has good handwriting for her age if she writes in cursive, average if she writes in print. She can copy 2 sentences easy (that's all I've asked of her, I've not had a reason to push her copywork based on what we're doing this year).

She is able to retell a story, narrate something she's learned and is a perfectionist so she has trouble putting a sentence down on paper without copying because of wanting to ensure her spelling is correct.

She wants to write well - she will eagerly make my grocery list, and plays restaurant by making her own menu and taking orders.

 

This year we are working through LOE, at her pace. The grammar she eats up like candy, the spelling she struggles some with. 

We are not doing a lot with reading, I've incorporated readers with her American history studies when I can. We do copywork with Apologia science and with our Presidents study to focus on handwriting and mechanics.

 

My desire for LA next year: To push her some in her strengths and to provide more scaffolding and support her in her weak areas.

 

My thoughts: since she loves grammar so much, I was thinking that Treasured Conversations would be a jumping off point for teaching her writing. I thought I would do the first section at her pace, then switch to Writing and Rhetoric Fables and play things by ear. 

 

Is there something else that might fit better? I need something easy to teach as I will have a baby, toddler and preschooler running about as well but I am not afraid of teacher intensive. 

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My DD is also in 2nd grade (started this week) and LA is one area where I struggle to know where to go.

 

Here is what we have decided - Dictation Day by Day A Modern Speller year 3 along with other spelling lists and words she incorrectly spells - my DD also wants things spelt correctly so I just sit with her and spell for her or use scrap paper and let her try the word or fill in the parts she knows and I help with the rest and then she carries on her writing

                                                - Reasoning and Writing Extensions C

                                                - WWE2 possibly moving into 3 later in the year

                                                - finishing grammarland (the free vintage book)- would love to move to MCT at some point, but may need to look up other options as finances are tight and postage here is crazy (as in some parcels took 5 months to get here last year due to strikes)

                                                - Own creative writing usually as a break from the above or when she wants to

                                                - Independent Reading for 45min after lunch - she chooses from a box of books and I leave it up to her

                                                - Read-Alouds - I read her a lot of classic books as well as some more modern books - a lot depends on the mood in the whole family which I choose.

 

It sounds like you have some good ideas. LA has so many parts and then you want to be moving forward without overwhelming the child and still have them enjoy it. My own DD does well knowing what is coming and having a routine so occassionally we will stick with something that I am less keen on simply because my DD knows what to expect and it becomes comfortable. I still think most of her LA is coming from well chosen read-alouds and the independent reading.

                                       

                                            

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I like your plan.  The only thing I'd consider adding is MCT Island, as others have said - Grammar Island and Sentence Island are great for grammar-lovers.  My dd also really loved working through the vintage program Grammar Land

 

http://books.google.com/books/about/Grammar_land_Or_Grammar_in_Fun_for_the_C.html?id=iXgSAAAAIAAJ

 

http://www.halfahundredacrewood.com/2011/05/free-grammarland-unit-study.html

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In terms of "grammar lover" materials, we used MCT materials and Latin. These are on my short list of things I unequivocally commend to others. I have always employed a socratic method of instruction, so it involved me heavily and engaged their advanced intellects without onerous output requirements.

 

Regarding composition exercises, I focused much more on "input" in early years rather than "output" since my kids (until MS years) comprehended highly advanced input but could not support it with significant output.  So we read widely and deeply, and they narrated back to me with lots of discussion.  People vary in their attitudes toward written output in the early years; we simply did not do much of it. 

 

 

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I love the look of grammar land, it's just out of our reach financially right now unless something changes (And DH is working hard to make things change, so maybe there's a chance!).

 

Thanks for the input!!

Keep an eye out for these used. We're going through Island level with just the TMs, no student books, and it's working well. For sentences that wouldn't have the analysis answers on the page on the student book, I just write them on the whiteboard and DD analyzes them there. For a kid who was doing copywork or dictation, you could easily use those sentences as copywork or dictation and then analyze them on the paper. Knocking out all the student books saves a TON of money.

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